Madeline Zima Biography
Summary
"Madeline Rose Zima" (born September 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is mostly known for her six years as Grace Sheffield on the TV series "The Nanny" or more recently as Mia Cross on the Showtime dramedy "Californication" and as Gretchen Berg on "Heroes".
Early life
Zima was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Marie and Dennis Zima. She has two younger sisters, Vanessa and Yvonne, both of whom are also actresses. Her surname means 'winter' in Polish (as in most other Slavic languages) and comes from her paternal grandfather, who was from Poland.
Career
Zima began her career at the age of 24 months when she was chosen as a toddler to appear in a television commercial for Downy fabric softener. She played the role of Grace Sheffield on the television show "The Nanny" for six years. Zima has become known for her work in films such as "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and having most recently appeared in the Hilary Duff film "A Cinderella Story" and the soon to be released films: "Dimples", "Looking for Sunday", "Once in a Very Blue Moon" and "Legacy" alongside Haylie Duff
In 2007, Zima played Mia Cross, a sexually precocious and conniving 16-year old, on the series "Californication". Zima returned for a second season of "Californication" in 2008 reprising her role as disgustingly bratty 17-year-old Mia. In promotion of Mia's book, "Fucking and Punching", Zima starred in several "Californication" webisodes that are featured on YouTube. In 2009, Zima joined the cast of "Heroes" as Gretchen Berg, Claire Bennet's quirky bisexual roommate and tentative love interest.
She stars as Jill in the 2009 release "The Collector".
Awards and nominations
She was nominated three times for a YoungStar Award at the YoungStar Awards, in 1995, 1997 and 1999 all of them for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series for "The Nanny" (1993).
She was also nominated thirteen times for a Young Artist Award at the Young Artist Awards:
1993 - Best Young Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture for "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992)
1994 - Best Youth Actress Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy and for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series shared with Benjamin Salisbury and Nicholle Tom both for "The Nanny" (1993)
1995 - Best Performance by a Youth Actress as a TV Guest Star for "Law & Order" (1990), and Best Performance by a Youth Ensemble in a Television Series shared with Nicholle Tom and Benjamin Salisbury, Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture and Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series, all of them for "The Nanny" (1993)
1996 - Best Performance by a Young Actress in a TV Comedy Series for "The Nanny" (1993)
1998 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series by a Supporting Young Actress for "The Nanny" (1993)
2001 - Best Performance in a TV Movie (Drama) by a Leading Young Actress for "The Sandy Bot"
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Madeline Zima.
